All Committees
Detroit Water and Sewerage Department
Utilities
Remote
Four consecutive committee meetings — Same Zoom link
To attend online: https://cityofdetroit.zoom.us/j/81572635118
1:00 p.m. - Finance
1:45 p.m. - Capital Improvement Program and Operations
2:00 p.m. - Customer Service
2:15 p.m. - Human Resources / Organizational Development
Check the source website for additional information
Reporting
Edited and summarized by the Detroit - MI Documenters Team
Note-taking by
Princess B.
DWSD says call center service has improved, but abandoned calls have risen and they've lost another two operators.
Live reporting by
Dan Ignacio
DWSD says call center service has improved, but abandoned calls have risen and they've lost another two operators.
Dan
@civicDetroitDan
Good afternoon, y’all! At 1 p.m. I’ll live-tweet today’s @DetroitWaterDep committee meetings for #DETdocumenters. 🧵
Our partners: @DetDocumenters, @media_outlier, @BridgeDet313, @chalkbeatDET, @Detour_Detroit, @freep, @metrotimes, @PlanetDetroit and @wdet.
Our partners: @DetDocumenters, @media_outlier, @BridgeDet313, @chalkbeatDET, @Detour_Detroit, @freep, @metrotimes, @PlanetDetroit and @wdet.
11:40 AM Sep 7, 2022 CDT
Join online, by phone or in person: dwsd.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.…
The Board of Water Commissioners will host three committee meetings, back to back. They all use the same online meeting ID.
We’ll publish more notes, recordings and archived materials: detroit.documenters.org/assignments/al…
The Board of Water Commissioners will host three committee meetings, back to back. They all use the same online meeting ID.
We’ll publish more notes, recordings and archived materials: detroit.documenters.org/assignments/al…
📎 Follow along with today’s agendas! I might refer to numbered agenda items in this thread.
Finance: dwsd.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.… … https://t.co/V5Fax5OOvS
Finance: dwsd.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.… … https://t.co/V5Fax5OOvS
Customer Service: dwsd.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.…
Human Resources/Organizational Development: dwsd.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.… https://t.co/t2MElL9xqn
Human Resources/Organizational Development: dwsd.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.… https://t.co/t2MElL9xqn
🏃 Our past reporting on utilities: detroit.documenters.org/reporting/?tag…
Sonja Stuckey took notes on the last Board of Water Commissioners meeting: detroit.documenters.org/assignments/bo…
And Paul Warner live-tweeted: twitter.com/PauldubbWarner…
Sonja Stuckey took notes on the last Board of Water Commissioners meeting: detroit.documenters.org/assignments/bo…
And Paul Warner live-tweeted: twitter.com/PauldubbWarner…
🗞 Detroit’s water and sewer line warranty program still suffers from poor customer service, many residents say. They complain of unresponsive representatives and unexplained claim denials. From @MalakSilmi: outliermedia.org/detroit-water-…
An audit has found that the Detroit water department has misused its credit cards for excessive hotel stays and banned gifts. Its conclusion: The department doesn’t do enough to enforce accountability among employees. From @PolarBarrett: bridgedetroit.com/audit-water-de…
❓ The Board of Water Commissioners (BOWC) oversees the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) and decides what customers pay for service. The mayor (@MayorMikeDuggan) appoints the commissioners, who meet monthly. detroitmi.gov/government/boa…
Your appointed Board of Water Commissioners:
• @einheuser, chair
• Mary Blackmon, vice chair
• Jane Garcia
• John Henry Davis
• @jkin5022
• Lane Coleman
• Linda Forte
• @einheuser, chair
• Mary Blackmon, vice chair
• Jane Garcia
• John Henry Davis
• @jkin5022
• Lane Coleman
• Linda Forte
🚩 Need visual descriptions? Reply and I’ll provide them to you.
Something inaccurate? Email documenters@outliermedia.org with the subject “Correction Request.” I’ll add corrections at the end.
See you soon!
Something inaccurate? Email documenters@outliermedia.org with the subject “Correction Request.” I’ll add corrections at the end.
See you soon!
As we wait for the Finance Committee meeting to start, I’ll note that the board has again cancelled a Capital Improvement Program and Operations (CIPO) Committee meeting. It cancelled last month’s meeting too.
Well, it’s meeting time… The online meeting has not yet gone live. https://t.co/BSMB6R3Y9g
⌚️ At 1:04 p.m. the Finance Committee meeting begins… I think? Debra Pospiech says they’re “resuming” the meeting. I did not get to see roll call. https://t.co/vJYgzPUAj1
📣 At 1:05 p.m., the board proceeds to hear public comments! The agenda says each speaker gets three minutes.
Pospiech says there are no commenters. So we move on.
✉️ At 1:07 p.m., the board proceeds to communications. There’s one item: A report of the department’s small-dollar purchases for this month. They approve to receive and file this report. dwsd.legistar.com/LegislationDet…
✉️ At 1:07 p.m., the board proceeds to communications. There’s one item: A report of the department’s small-dollar purchases for this month. They approve to receive and file this report. dwsd.legistar.com/LegislationDet…
🧳 At 1:07 p.m., the board proceeds to unfinished business. The agenda simply lists “Procurement Policy” under this section. The chair of this meeting says this has been considered for a while but there are no updates.
💼 At 1:08 p.m., the board proceeds to new business. Three contracts are up for approval. Commissioners will also receive a performance review of the department’s investments, and review their planning calendar.
Agenda Item 22-0914, $194,900 contract for Ajax Paving Industries: Marqaicha Welch says this will simply amend a contract for water main break repairs. She justifies it saying it’s a re-bid to get a lower overall price. The board approves it.
Item 22-0916, $85,564 contract amendment for Ellsworth Industries: Welch doesn’t have comments for this one. The board approves it.
Item 22-0917, $150,000 contract amendment for The Allen Law Group: Welch also doesn’t have comments for this one. The board approves.
📊 At 1:14 p.m., the board proceeds to the monthly finance review, presented by Istakur Rahman.
CORRECTION: This is the investment performance review presentation.
Rahman introduces Brian Quinn, who will present. Quinn says inflation and the Federal Reserve has restricted what DWSD can invest in. https://t.co/ezLJTC5UTI
Rahman introduces Brian Quinn, who will present. Quinn says inflation and the Federal Reserve has restricted what DWSD can invest in. https://t.co/ezLJTC5UTI
Quinn says the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates to combat inflation. Unemployment has declined and the Federal Reserve is responding accordingly. https://t.co/oV03wkL5DE
Quinn says the Fed predicts interest rates to peak next year then decline. He expects an update in September.
Brian Quinn is the senior managing consultant at PFM Asset Management. https://t.co/42T5XrkUKs
Brian Quinn is the senior managing consultant at PFM Asset Management. https://t.co/42T5XrkUKs
Now Quinn gives statistics of DWSD’s investment portfolio. He again highlights DWSD’s investments being predominately short-term. Quinn says this is a good thing. https://t.co/TTEMxv7Onk
If you’re an accountant, please consider becoming a documenter because this finance report is absolutely dense. …
Regarding the previous slide, a commissioner asks what water and sewer “I&E” are. Rahman says this stands for Improvement and Extension Funds. These fund capital projects.
Another commissioner asks about the typical duration of their investments. The “Consolidated Summary” slide says 0.32 years. Quinn says they have “maturities coming every month.”
Blackmon asks something but I honestly do not understand her question nor Quinn’s answer. So much jargon.
Another commissioner asks about the management fee for their investments. Quinn says these are deducted from yields. Einheuser asks if there’s “comingling” between DWSD and the Great Lakes Water Authority. No, says Quinn.
Commissioner Kinloch — the first commissioner to be identified this meeting — asks how a certain fund is managed… Another commissioner says they’ve been working with the Great Lakes Water Authority for five years. Quinn says there is one year left before that fund matures. …
Someone asks if DWSD has to continue this relationship or if they could put out a bid. Someone else says the latter is possible.
Vice Chair Blackmon (?) asks how they can measure portfolio performance. Quinn says this is difficult as the benchmark they use is “customized” to DWSD.
Rahman says he’s working with Quinn to “revamp” their investment policy based on best practices and requirements. He hopes this will be finished next year.
That’s it for Quinn’s presentation.
Now the planning calendar. Timothy St. Andrew from Plant Moran is here to talk about the timeline for a June 30 financial audit. They expect to start field work on Oct. 3, which would happen for six weeks.
Now the planning calendar. Timothy St. Andrew from Plant Moran is here to talk about the timeline for a June 30 financial audit. They expect to start field work on Oct. 3, which would happen for six weeks.
Commissioners don’t have questions for this matter. St. Andrew says they’ll send a letter to the board on confirming the timeline and explaining the risks related to the audit. St. Andrew says they’re required to identify mis-statements.
⏱ At 1:47 p.m., this committee meeting adjourns! Stay tuned for the Customer Service Committee meeting.
⌚️ At 1:47 p.m., the Customer Service Committee meeting is called to order!
👤 Roll call: All commissioners are present.
The board approves this committee’s agenda and the minutes from its previous meeting on Aug. 3.
👤 Roll call: All commissioners are present.
The board approves this committee’s agenda and the minutes from its previous meeting on Aug. 3.
Joyce in the Virginia Park neighborhood asks if they could get more information on an upcoming summit meeting. …
They also ask if the board could create a “grandfather clause” that lets paved lot owners pay a previous drainage rate. Joyce says they wouldn’t have paved their property if they knew about the fee.
A commissioner says they won’t hold a summit. They say Hydrate Detroit has yet to schedule such a summit. Instead, this commissioner says they’ve had smaller meetings with block clubs regarding the water affordability Lifeline Plan. …
Based on the feedback they’ve gotten, they will make changes to the Lifeline Plan.
Meeko Williams, chief director of Hydrate Detroit, advocates on behalf of Ruby Riley, a damage claimant. This person is listed under unfinished business. Williams also asks about DWSD’s advertising strategy for the Lifeline Plan, suggesting radio, TV and bus ads.
… Williams also says they’re still organizing the summit in collaboration with city officials, anticipating an October date. He concludes saying water is a human right, pointing to the ongoing water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi.
Pospiech says there will be no further discussions on damage claimant Riley. She also says 6,000 new people have signed up for the Lifeline Plan. Pospiech also says they aim to promote the Lifeline Plan primarily through door-to-door outreach and on-the-street registrations.
Peckinpaugh says they’re in conversation with Williams. Meeting chair remarks Peckinpaugh has an ambitious schedule for their Lifeline Plan.
The board is running behind schedule. They quickly adjourns this meeting, calls the HR Committee meeting to order, then recesses that meeting to continue the Customer Service Committee meeting.
✉️ At 2:05 p.m., the board proceeds to communications. There are two items, both letters responding to residents.
🧳 The board proceeds to unfinished business. Listed here are damage claims filed by two residents. Pospiech again insists there will be no further updates on Ruby Riley’s claim. The board moves to remove that item and approves.
📊 Matthew Phillips joins to present August’s customer service performance. He says this has been their busiest month. On average, they answer non-emergency customer service calls in 12 minutes. https://t.co/Wajxf80UV7
Phillips commends the customer service department for maintaining their performance. His slide says they’ve received over 57,000 calls in August, a 31% increase. Phillips says they expect 15 new employees to start this week. https://t.co/C0CzmbCGTO
Phillips says customer service quality has improved in August. https://t.co/4ELCpcJY22
Kimberly Crowell now presents the planning calendar. Crowell talks about using IBM Watson for automated calls to customers — Nightly Leak Reports. Crowell this has been in place since last year. https://t.co/d1ZQ6HXgTo
Pospiech asks if these automated calls are customized for each customer. Yes, says Crowell.
The meeting chair asks if some customers have not gotten these automated calls. Phillips says yes, but this is meant to target customers with the biggest leaks.
Crowell now talks about DWSD’s automated phone calls for meter appointment reminders. Since launching this program, appointment completion rates have increased by 20%. …
Phillips highlights that automated calls helps them save on resources. Crowell says it takes each automated call costs 10 cents to make.
Data on appointment confirmations. Phillips says their automated dialer helps customer service representatives save time. https://t.co/3xiIdtzeC5
Phillips praises the artificial intelligence technology (in IBM Watson?) for helping the customer service department save time.
Crowell says they will start automated calls to Lifeline Plan customers who exceed their monthly threshold. They will also start automated calls for customers who will get visited by ITRON Project technicians. … https://t.co/t08zlWPBNt
These technicians install meter reading devices. The meeting chair notes that there is a distrust among residents of the ITRON Project.
Another commissioner stresses the importance of having ITRON technicians dress appropriately, so they can be easily identified as DWSD employees. https://t.co/JkV2aig27A
👉 The board proceeds to other matters. Commissioner Kinloch talks about a maintenance issue in the McDougall neighborhood that is being resolved.
Commissioner Blackmon asks how many applicants have been declined for the Lifeline Plan. She is worried about directing applicants to Wayne Metro, saying, “I wish I had a lot of confidence in Wayne Metro, but I don’t.” …
A commissioner says the finance department is able to monitor Wayne Metro’s processing of applicants, and says every applicant has been accepted. …
Pospiech says many applicants have already started in the Lifeline Plan in September and October. …
She says, “I’m not aware of any issue with Lifeline. It’s like any sign-up process. … They (Wayne Metro) will contact you and say, ‘You need additional paperwork.’” She says many of these applicants have been able to come back with paperwork within the same day.
A commissioner says they’re not aware of any customer complaints regarding the Lifeline Plan. However, they will return with more information.
A commissioner mentions a news story of a customer with a $4,000 water bill. (Anyone able to find this?) They say DWSD offerred a one-time “leak credit” to this customer but the customer declined, as they insist there was no leak. …
Phillips says DWSD also replaced their meter, and that the leak stopped sometime in March or April.
⏱ At 2:38 p.m., this committee meeting adjourns! Stay tuned for the HR Committee meeting.
⌚️ At 2:38 p.m., the Human Resources and Organizational Development Committee meeting resumes!
👤 Roll call: Everyone present from before is still here.
👤 Roll call: Everyone present from before is still here.
The board approves this committee’s agenda and the minutes from its previous meeting on Aug. 3.
📣 At 2:39 p.m., the board proceeds to hear public comments! Pospiech says there are no commenters present.
📣 At 2:39 p.m., the board proceeds to hear public comments! Pospiech says there are no commenters present.
💼 At 2:40 p.m., the board proceeds to new business.
📊 Patricia Thornhill presents an HR metrics report. She says they have 24 new hires. https://t.co/I2YxNF71rd
📊 Patricia Thornhill presents an HR metrics report. She says they have 24 new hires. https://t.co/I2YxNF71rd
Commissioner Blackmon says she met someone who applied for a job and did not receive a response from DWSD. Thornhill says they inform candidates when they are not selected. https://t.co/msYGX2KMm7
DWSD Director Gary Brown says applicants often retract their applications while waiting for drug test results. Brown says they lost 15 candidates this way (out of 22 applicants) who applied at a job fair.
Commissioner Garcia is concerned about the time it takes to repair main breaks. She highlights a break on Scotten Street that took three weeks to repair. Someone says this is due to a staffing issue, but they’re waiting for further information on what is causing this problem.
Commissioner Forte suggests hiring short-term contractors to mitigate expenses and “overhiring” to account for employee turnover. …
Brown says they’re waiting on an analysis that weighs the costs of outside contractors versus in-house technicians. He also says they keep a waiting list of job applicants.
Commissioner Einheuser: “Anybody who says they can’t find a job isn’t looking for one. … If you go to a skilled trades job fair, and you have a Detroit address, they will fight over you.” …
Einheuser speaks positively of college student loan forgiveness, but asks the public to consider trade careers.
Thornhill says they are considering overhiring. Back to the presentation, she says DWSD has filled all their Field Service Technician positions. They’ve had positive results from their hiring fair on Aug. 31.
Thornhill says their existing job pipelines and sourcing relationships are still important.
She says only eight DWSD employees have are in COVID-19 quarantine. However, they’re still closely monitoring cases after a peak in cases in January. https://t.co/yvFYqRThVr
She says only eight DWSD employees have are in COVID-19 quarantine. However, they’re still closely monitoring cases after a peak in cases in January. https://t.co/yvFYqRThVr
Thornhill says employees in quarantine test every five days, and have differring recovering times. She also says the city no longer has a mask mandate for employees.
Now the planning calendar. Thornhill talks about a collective bargaining agreement with the Utility Workers Union of America. She says DWSD has updated job descriptions and increased wages, which had remained the same since 2013. https://t.co/pC65CZV0dK
Someone asks how many times this agreement has to come to their committee before ratification. Pospiech says this committee has no power, but the board will consider it next meeting.
The board almost moves on with the meeting, but the board secretary reminds them they have to vote on whether to recommend approving this collective bargaining agreement. They approve this resolution.
⏱ At 3:07 p.m., they adjourn this meeting. That’s it for today!
DWSD’s Board of Water Commissioners will meet again on Sep. 21: dwsd.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.…
DWSD’s Board of Water Commissioners will meet again on Sep. 21: dwsd.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.…
That’s my live coverage of this Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Board of Water Commissioners committee meetings. As always, thank you for following along!
Help document and learn more about your local government at Detroit Documenters: detroit.documenters.org
Help document and learn more about your local government at Detroit Documenters: detroit.documenters.org
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Corrections may follow below.
Corrections may follow below.
Attachments
By
Dan Ignacio
9/7/2022
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Dan Ignacio
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Dan Ignacio
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Dan Ignacio
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Dan Ignacio
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Dan Ignacio
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Dan Ignacio
9/7/2022
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Dan Ignacio
9/7/2022
Agency Information
Detroit Water and Sewerage Department
Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is one of the largest water and sewer utilities in the United States, serving more than 200,000 Detroit residential and commercial accounts that includes a city population of nearly 680,000. DWSD’s water network consists of more than 2,700 miles of transmission and distribution mains and nearly 3,000 miles of sewer collection piping.
Documents
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